Tobacco



acids predominate over alkalines.

Patented a. 12, 1943 TOBACCO Thomas H. Garber, Washington, D. 0.,assignor to Larus and Brother Company, Inc., Henrioo County, Va.

No Drawing. Application April 13, 1943,

Serial No. 482,939

16 Claims.

This invention relates to tobacco and more particularly to tobaccoproducts including cigarettes, smoking tobacco and chewing tobacco, andthe processing or treating of the tobacco to obtain the finishedproduct. The present invention is a continuation in part of each of mycopending applications, Ser. Nos. 415,960, and 451,961, both filed July22, 1942.

The invention is concerned primarily with the finished product, whetherit be cigarettes, smoking tobacco or chewing tobacco, and is concemedmore particularly with the method of obtaining a tobacco product. ofbest quality and character that will afford the greatest pleasure andsatisfaction to the user without irritation to the mucous membranes ofthe smoker or other disagreeable eflects. 1

In the processing of tobacco products it is important that the tobaccobe treated with certain materials to maintain the proper moistureconditions and to render the same workable as well as in the propercondition for use. It is well recognized that in processing it isnecessary to blend various types and grades of tobacco produced bydifierent soils and methods of curing. Various conditioning agents havebeen employed including hygroscopic agents or humectants, for exampleglycerine, diethylene glycol, invert sugar, sorbitol and the like, toobtain and control the desired moisture retention qualities. In additionto controlling the moisture in the tobacco it is highly desirable totreat the tobacco so that its use will afiord greater enjoyment due tothe elimination of irritants. In other words in the manufacture oftobacco two major factors must be considered, viz., the use of asuitable hygroscopic agent or humectant for maintaining the propermoisture content and the addition of something that will properlyneutralize irritants including those in the smoke of combustion.

Bright or flue-cured tobaccos containing various amounts ofcarbohydrates, up to one-fourth of the weight of the tobacco, may bedescribed as acidic, since in the products of combustion This is due tothe relative amounts of carbohydrates over nitrogenous substances inthe'leaf. Air-cured types, particularly burley and Maryland tobaccos,are alkaline in their products of combustion due to the predominance ofnitrogenous substances in the tobacco. Turkish tobaccos arecomparatively neutral in character.

The difierence between acidic and alkaline types of tobaccos may beattributed primarily to the method of curing. Bright tobaccos naturallylow in nitrogen are heat or flue-cured more or less quicklyandartificially with the result that the carbohydrates are maintained atthe maximum and stabilized. When burned these carbohydrates form acidicproducts. Air-cured tobaccos, such as burley and Maryland types, arerelatively high in nitrogen, but low in, if not devoid of,carbohydrates. The foregoing types of tobaccos usually are blended invarious proper tions to produce the desired various tobacco productsincluding cigarettes and smoking tobacco.

' It has been found necessary in the blending of tobaccos that those lowin, or of no carbohydrate content, must have theircarbohydrate contentincreased, in order to' have the proper chemical balance particularly inthe combustion products of the tobacco. Without this alkaline and acidicbalance tobacco products are often foundto have certain objectionablecharacteristics which may produce-irritation to the mucous membranes ofthe nose and throat of the smoker. Much has been done in an eflort toovercome this difliculty including improvement of the smokingqualities,flavor, and aroma of tobaccos and particularly to remove irritants fromthe smoke produced during burning of the tobacco product.

It is an object of the invention to control the moisture retentionqualities and carbohydrate carbohydrates, the characters of thetobaccos,

the carbohydrate contents which are supplenented, and the combustionproducts of the combination.

I have found that in order to satisfactoril use air-cured tobaccoshaving little or no natural sugars in a blend with bright or flue-curedtobaccos having various amounts of natural sugars present in the curedtobaccos, that it is necessary to regulate and control the finalcarbohydrate content of the finished tobacco product. It will be readilyapparent that after the tobaccos are blended, it is necessary todetermine definitely the percentage of carbohydrates in th blend fromwhich information the amount of carbohydrates to be added is determinedin order that the carbohydrate deficiency may be overcome in order toprovide the: proper balance of the acidic and alkaline constituentsproduced in the smoking of the tobacco product, to thereby reduce theirritating properties of the tobacco when smoked.

I have found that carbohydrates may be added to have othertypes ofsugars and at the same time it will increase the carbohydrate content ofthe tobacco to a predetermined amount depending upon the amount ofdextrose added and it will improve the smoking qualities of the tobacco.If a greater amount of moisture is desired dextrose-maltose-dextrine maybe employed as a. humectant to supply the dextrose when only a smallquantity is required. Actual tests and experience have proven thattobacco treated in accordance with my method produces less irritationduring smoking than tobacco treated with other types of carbohydratessuch as disaccharides and trisaccharides, that is, cane sugar anddextrine sugar.

While the carbohydrate content can be increased and improved by the useof the primary sugar dextrose, the carbohydrate content and the amountof moisture retention qualities of the "tobacco product can bedefinitely controlled by incorporating dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrupin the tobacco.

Dextrose is prepared commercially from corn starch by a processtechnically known as acidic sacchariflcation or hydrolysis of starchunder the established process used by the manufacturer. Fundamentally,the dextrose formation is brought about by acid causing starch tocombine with water chemically as follows:

c o no A'd on: O-l-Acid 533th" win Den ue;

The acid is not affected by the reaction as the equation indicates. Itacts merely as an accelerator or catalyst. It is the hydrogen ionconcentration which determines the rate of hydrolysis. Dextrose hydrateis formed with one molecule of dextrose containing one molecule .ofwater of crystallization (CgHuOmHigOl Anhydrous dextrose, thatis-dextrose without water of crystallization (CsHnOo), is produced byre-crystallizing dextrose hydrat in vacuum. Both dextrose hydrate andanhydrous dextrose may be used in the herein disclosed process.

In carrying out my improved method in the manufacture of tobacco, apredetermined amount of dextrose is added to the tobacco after blending,preferably withthe casing. The dextrose, preferably in substantiallypure form, is dissolved in water and is applied by spraying uniformly onthe surface of the tobacco with or without other flavoring ingredients.'The dextrose likewise may be applied to tobacco by dipping orsubmerging the tobacco in an aqueous solution of dextrose with orwithout other flavoring ingredients and allowing the tobacco to absorb agiven percentage of dextrose, after which the tobacco is dried and cutin accordance with th requirements of the tobacco product.

In actual practice dextrose has been successfully incorporated in thetobacco product by spraying an aqueous solution uniformly on the tobaccoor tobacco blend in an amount up to /6 dry weight of the dry weight ofthe tobacco treated or in other words the amount used varyingapproximately from 1% to by weight of the tobacco being treated. Thisamount is dependent upon the types of tobacco used and the amount ofdextrose required to balance the nitrogenous substances in the naturaltobacco. Dextrose has also been successfully applied to tobacco bydipping or by submerging the tobacco in an aqueous solution with orwithout other flavoring ingredients and allowing the tobacco to absorb adefinite amount of dextrose from the solution before drying and cuttinginto the desired specifications of the tobacco product. The addedcarbohydrate should be essentially dextrose, that is, substantially farthe greater part or substantially all dextrose in order not to addsomething which will interfere with the operation of the dextrose orwhich will add other irritants to the product. In actual tests the useof invert sugar has been unsatisfactory due to the presence of levulosewith the dextrose.

Specific example-To 1000 lbs. of tobacco, or blend of tobaccos, add 100lbs. of the primary sugar dextrose dissolved in an aqueous solution byspraying the solution uniformly on the tobacco or submerging the tobaccoin the solution for absorption of the dextrose, after which the tobaccois dried to the desired specifications and cut into shreds or granularparticles.

In addition to increasing the carbohydrate content of the tobacco by theuse of substantially pure dextrose, other flavoring ingredients andmaterials may be added by this method as desired by the manufacturer forflavoring and moisture retention but the added materials should notinterfere with the action of the dextrose or add irritants.

By this improved process the carbohydrate content of tobacco or tobaccoblends can be uniformly controlled as to the amount of totalcarbohydrates and a balance made with the nitrogenous and nicotinecontents of the tobacco with the use of only an aldose-hexose type ofsugar (dextrose). By this means it is possible to regulate thevariations in the carbohydrate content of tobacco by the use of addeddextrose. Improvements in the smoking qualities by eliminating harshirritants and undesirable combustion products are obtained by balancingthe acidic and alkaline substances in the tobacco smoke.

The amount of moisture found in tobacco products varies with climaticconditions and is related to the method of manufacture, curing andcultivation of the types of tobacco used in the finished product. It ishighly important that a tobacco product maintain a constant moisturerange after processing, namely 10 to 13% moisture, in order to insuresatisfactory smoking qualities without the production of irritatingsubstances in the smoke developed particularly when dry tobacco isburned. In like manner, tobacco productsshould not become soggy or toomoist from excess absorption of moisture due to effects of some types ofhygroscopic substances used with tobacco products. Tobaccos often moldand are damaged if the moisture retention factors are not controlled'inthe manufacture and formulation of the tobacco product.

A moisture stabilizer which will prevent tobacco products from dryingbelow the desired level as well as to prevent absorption above thedesired limit for maximum smoking quality is an object of this inventionin the use of dextrosemaltose-dextrine syrup herein described.

Dextrose-maltose-dextrine when added to tobacco in the process ofmanufacture, adds the desirable carbohydrates to the tobacco product aswell as affords a moisture retention substance which stabilizes themoisture at the desired level under most climatic conditions.

None of the customary hygroscopic agents such as glycerine, diethyleneglycol, sorbitol, invert syrup and the like, are necessary or desirablewhen dextrose-maltose-dextrine is used in the processing of the tobaccoproduct as described. Insome climates, some tobaccos when treated withdextrose may require little or no hygroscopic substance to be added thedextrose being sufficiently hygroscopic as well as supplying thenecessary carbohydrate supplement.

The particular composition of the dextrosemaltose-dextrine syrup mostdesirable with the present invention is one which contains approximately20% water with carbohydrate analysis found satisfactory in practice,other types of dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrups having varying relativepercentages of dextrose, maltose and dextrine may be used.

In practice, the dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrup may be added to thetobacco in an aqueous solution with or without the addition of otherflavoring ingredients in proportions of from 1% to or up toapproximately dry weight of the dry weight of the tobacco being treated.This syrup may be applied to the tobacco by spraying before the tobaccois cut and dried, or it may be applied by dipping or submerging thetobacco in an aqueous solution containing the syrup and allowing thetobacco to absorb this syrup, then drying before cutting into shreds orgranular particles.

Specific emampZe.-To 1000 lbs. of uncut tobacco, apply by spraying ordipping or otherwise to permit absorption, 100 lbs. of the syrup (dryweight) in an aqueous solution with or without other flavoringingredients. The tobacco should then be dried to a desired moisturecontent before cutting and incorporating into the final tobaccoproduct-cigarettes and/or smoking tobacco and/orchewing tobacco.

Actual experience has demonstrated that the use of this syrup in theamounts stated imparts to the tobacco the desired moisture-retainingproperties while at the same time it acts as a source of carbohydratesnecessary to obtain a uniform balance of the carbohydrates with thenitrogenous and nicotine contents or alkaline substances of the tobacco.In other words, the carbohydrate content of the tobacco is increased toa pre-determined amount which improves the smoking quality of thetobacco, and in addition to this factor the syrup acts as a softening ornicotine contents. Thus, the present method accomplishes a two-foldpurpose-that is, (1) it increases the carbohydrates during processingthereby improving the smoking quality of tobacco products, and '(2) itserves as a hygroscopic or conditioning agent for the retention ofmoisture to prevent tobacco from drying out.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the present inventioncontemplates using dextrose-'maltose-dextrine t control both thecarbohydrate content and the moisture retention properties of thetobacco. Also the invention contemplates using dextrose alone to controlthe carbohydrate content as well as to supplement the dextrose when thedextrose of dextrosemaltose-dextrine is insufiicient. Also where littleor no moisture retention control is necessary the dextrose will servesatisfactorily this purpose.

In the processing of some tobaccos it has been found desirable tomaintain the carbohydrate content higher than whendextrose-maltosedextrine syrup was used; in other words it has beenfound desirable to maintain the dextrose content higher than the amountof dextrose available from the dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrup withoutthe addition of the maltose and the dextrine; that is to say by addingadditional primary sugar dextrose to the casin or tobacco sweetening orconditioning 501 tion the desired result is accomplished. The additionof the primary sugar dextrose does not appreciably modify thehygroscopic characteristics of the tobacco while each substance dextroseand dextrose-maltose-dextrine are each individually useful but bycombining the two a greater flexibility and exactness of control isobtained, and is possible of variations to compensate for the irregularproperties and chemical composition of unprocessed tobaccos. Accordinglya tobacco low in carbohydrate content requires a greater amount ofprimary sugar dextrose to be added while a tobacco having a greatercarbohydrate content requires a much smaller amount of the primary sugardextrose to be added; likewise when the tobaccos are low in moistureretention properties a greater amount of dextrose-maltose-dextrine isrequired than when such tobaccos have greater moisture retentionqualities.

It will be readily appreciated that dextrosemaltose-dextrine is added totobacco not only for controlling the moisture retention qualities but toincrease the carbohydrate content. When such increase in carbohydratecontent is not suflicient dextrose is added to supply this deficiencyand that occurring from the great variation which exists in the naturalunprocessed tobaccos. The requirements are that the manufactured productmust be uniform in total carbohydrate and hygroscopic properties. It istherefore possible to obtain the highly desirable carbohydrate balancewith the nitrogenous content of the tobacco and maintain the desiredmoisture retention properties. The above applies not only to aparticular tobacco product but to all tobacco products includingcigarettes, smoking tobacco and chewing tobaccos.

It will be understood further that each of the dextrorotatory substancesdextrose and dextrosemaltose-dextrine may be used individually or theymay be used cojointly. That is, dextrose is preferable where thehygroscopic properties need very little, and the carbohydratessubstantial, supplement;

7 supplement. is not necessary but substantial hygroscopic supplement isnecessary.--

It will .be understood that although specific examples havebeenillustrated they are not to be construed as-limiting b'ut'only asillustrative of the invention and-that certain changes in the processand manner of performing thesame' may be made without departing from thespirit-or scope of the invention as defined by the' appended i claims.

What is claimed is: Q 1. In the manufacture of a tobacco product,

that improvement which comprises incorporating in the tobaccocarbohydrate substancecomprising dextrose-maltose-dextrine and dextrose,the dextrose-maltose-dextrinebeing substantially in the proportions of40%, 40% and 20% dry weight respectively.

2. A tobacco product having incorporated therein carbohydrate substancescomprising dextrose-maltose-dextrine' and dextrose, thedextrose-maltose-dextrine being substantially in the proportions of 40%,40% and 20% 'dry weight respectively.

,3. In the manufacture of a tobacco product, that improvement whichcomprises incorporating in the tobacco carbohydrate substance comprisingdextrose-maltose-dextrine and dextrose, said carbohydrate substancebeing an amount up to approximately /6 dry weight of the dr weight ofthe tobacco treated, the dextrose-maltose-dex trine being substantiallyin the proportions of 40%, 40% and 20% -dry weight respectively.

4. A tobacco product having incorporated therein carbohydrate substancescomprising dex trose-maltose-dextrine and dextrose, said corbohydratesubstance being an amount up to approximately /6 dry weight of thedryweight of the tobacco, the dextrose-maltose-dextrine beingsubstantially in the proportions of 40%, 40% and 20% dry weightrespectively.

5. In the manufacture of a tobacco product that improvement whichcomprises incorporating in the tobacco a carbohydrate comprising'dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrup and a carbohydrate consistingessentially of dextrose, the dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrup beingsubstantially in the proportions of 40%, 40% and 20% dry weightrespectively.

6. A tobacco product having incorporated therein a carbohydratecomprising dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrupand a carbohydrate consistingessentially of dextrose, the dextrose-maltosedextrine syrup beingsubstantially in the proportions of 40%, 40% and 20% weight re-'spectively.

'7. In themanufacture bra tobacco product that: improvement whichcomprises incorporating in the to acco a"'carbohydrate comprisingdextrose-maltose-dextr'ine syrup and a carbohydrate consisting'sse'ntially'of dextrose, said carbohydrates being an amount up toapproximately /8 dryweightxof: the dry weight 'ofthe tobacco 4 treated,i the =dextrose,-maltose-dextrine' syrup being substantially in theproportions of 40%, 40%

and 20% dry weight respectively.

. 3.,A :tobacco ,product having ,incorporated 1 he eina c r o ate co isig e t ose-male tose-dextrine syrup-and a carbohydrate -consistvingessentially of .dextrose, said carbohydrates being an amount up toapproximately 7 /6 dry weight ofthedry'weight of the. tobacco treated,

a'ssas'so thedextrose-maltose dextrine syrup being substantially in-the"proportions of 40%. 40% and 20% dry weight respectively.

9.1!; the manufacture of a tobacco product for smoking, incorporating inthe tobacco casing including a carbohydrate consisting essentially ofdextrose, maltose, and dextrine, in proportions substantially 40%,- 40%and 20% dry weight respectively. 10 10. A tobacco product for smokinghaving therein a casing including a carbohydrate consisting essentiallyof dextrose, maltose, and dextrine, in proportions substantially 40%,40% and dry weight respectively. v

11. In the manufacture of a tobacco product for smoking, incorporatingin the tobacco a casing including a'carbohydrate consisting essentiallyof dextrose, maltose and dextrine, in proportions substantially 40%, 40%and 20% dry 20 weight respectively, said carbohydrate substance being anamount up to approximately A;

dry weight of the dry weight of the tobacco treated.

12. A tobacco product for smoking having therein a casing including acarbohydrate consisting essentially of dextrose, maltose, and dextrinein proportions substantially 40%. 40% and 20% dry weightrespectively,said carbohydrate substance being an amount up to approximately ,4; dryweight of the dry weight of the tobacco.

13. In the manufacture of a tobacco product for smoking, incorporatingin the tobacco a casing having therein a carbohydrate syrup includingapproximately dextrose, 40% maltose, '5 and 20 dextrine and having therequisite moisture retention properties for providing the necessarymoisture in the tobacco, said carbohydrate substance being an 3}..."Y1tup to approximately ,6; dry weight of the dry weight of the tobaccotreated.

14. A tobacco product for smoking having therein a'casing including acarbohydrate providing the necessary moisture retention properties whichat the time of incorporation was dextrose-maltose-dextrine syrup inwhich the dextrose-maltose-dextrine were substantially in proportions of40%, 40% and 20% dry weight respectively, said carbohydrate substancebeing an amount up to approximately /6 dry weight of the dry weight ofthe tobacco.

15. In the manufacture of tobacco to be smoked, the steps of blendingtobaccos to obtai the desired smoking qualities, checking t blend todetermine the percentage of carbo drates present, conditioning -theblendedtobacco for the proper moisture content, and treating the tobaccowith a casing containing substantially pure dextrose in an amountsumcient to balance thecarbohydrate-deficiency, ereby-reducingtheirritating properties ofthe smoke. V

1 16. A tobacco product for smokingcomprising ablend of tobaccos having:predetermined smok-- .arereduced. v v

i THOMAS H. GARBER.

